The present invention relates to a frozen carbonated product, and more particularly to a frozen CO2-hydrate food product, such as a frozen carbonated beverage, and method of making the same.
Various methods of preparing effervescent ice confection products, such as CO2-hydrate-containing confections are well known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,862. In general, these techniques involve contacting water with CO2 under pressure and reducing the temperature until a solid CO2-water clathrate, also termed CO2-hydrate, is formed. The hydrate is then ground, producing particles of the frozen CO2-hydrate, which can then be mixed with a flavored confection phase, followed by freezing the resulting mixture.
One of the problems with prior art methods of producing CO2-hydrate products is that insufficient carbonation is achieved. This results in a frozen product that, while adequate from the standpoint of sweetness and flavor, lacks sufficient carbonation to produce the feel in the mouth consumers associate with carbonated liquid beverages.
Other shortcomings of the prior art include relatively long reaction times being required for preparation of the CO2-hydrate, and minimal throughput, with the result that until now there has been no commercially viable process available for the production of a CO2-hydrate ice confection product.
Yet another problem with the prior art is the instability of the CO2-hydrate, which loses carbonation rapidly during the first 24 hours after formation. To slow the rate of loss of carbonation, it is often necessary to maintain the hydrate under severe temperature or pressure conditions that are not commercially feasible for the home user market, wherein home freezers operate at atmospheric pressure and around xe2x88x9210 to +5xc2x0 Fahrenheit.
Another drawback with prior art processes is that they do not readily lend themselves to preparation of a diet product. Diet products have no sugar, and do not behave the same as sugar-containing products upon freezing. Until now, there has been no commercial process available for producing an artificially sweetened CO2-hydrate product.
Still another drawback with prior art methods of producing CO2-hydrate products is the tendency of such products to xe2x80x9cexplodexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpop,xe2x80x9d i.e., disintegrate unpredictably with a loud noise, particularly when immersed in liquid. One possible explanation for this is the formation of dry ice during the carbon dioxide hydration process.
Accordingly, an improvement in the art could be realized if a carbon dioxide-hydrate product could be developed that addressed some or all of the aforementioned shortcomings.
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a frozen carbonated confection product that exhibits high CO2 retention without significant dry ice formation and stable storage in the home freezer environment. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cstablexe2x80x9d is intended to mean that the frozen carbonated confection product can be stored at typical home freezer temperatures for typical storage durations without losing significant amounts of CO2. According to a preferred method of practicing the invention, water at ambient pressure is charged to a reactor and subjected to an inert gas purge, preferably using CO2 to minimize air entrainment in the resulting frozen product. Air entrainment can result in lower CO2 retention levels. After the purge, the water is chilled to just above the freezing point, preferably to 32.1xc2x0 F. The chilled water is agitated, and carbon dioxide under pressure, preferably about 400 psig, is introduced into the reactor where the CO2-hydrate reaction is allowed to proceed with continued agitation for about thirty minutes. The reaction mixture is then cooled to about xe2x88x925xc2x0 F., resulting in a solid CO2-hydrate containing product, which is then ground to an acceptable particle size. Preferably following grinding, or alternatively prior to or during grinding of the CO2-hydrate product, a flavored syrup is mixed with the CO2-hydrate product, and the resulting product is dispensed, preferably incorporating a compacting step, for packaging and storage.
These and other advantages and preferred embodiments of the invention will become more readily apparent as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments proceeds, particularly with reference to the appended drawing.